ALL ABOVE BOARD

How We Meet All Your Cat Boarding Needs

Too often we see cat boarding facilities that, whilst functional, are not what we’d want to see if we were boarding our own cats. So we can provide the best possible environment in what can be a stressful time for any cat, here at the Cat Palace we designed and built our Kitty Cabanas to very exacting specifications.

We’re here to provide all your Sydney Cat Boarding needs.

At The Cat Palace, you won’t find any Venice Villas or Maldives Mansions full of stuff your cat doesn’t need but which you will pay for. What you will find is our own, self-designed cabanas which are the result of years of knowledge and experience, designed and built by people who know what your cat actually does need.

All have upstairs and downstairs areas, and all are cleaned and disinfected with scrupulous care before and after every check in or checkout.

We will only board as many cats as we can keep happy, so you can be assured of no overcroweding or unsuitable conditions for your cat.

A first trip to boarding can be stressful for cats, until they realise that they’re in good hands and being well looked after. We take extra care to make sure that all our residents, both old and new, adapt as quickly as possible to their change in environment.

Our boarding setup and methods have been approved by the RSPCA and the Animal Welfare League, and our Café has been given the University of Sydney Ethics Approval for the containment and management of cats, a rare achievement for any specialist environment.

Deluxe Boarding

Our Deluxe boarding comes in two forms.

THE CAT PALACE

The cabanas which give us our name are bigger than our other standard and double cabanas, and come complete with a view of the outside. Although a room with a view might not seem important, think about how long your cat just sits looking out of the windows at home. To us mere humans, it looks like they’re just staring into space but, to a cat, the outside world is constantly alive with activity and interesting things to see.The trees outside the windows of the Cat Palace have a whole hopst of things going on in them all day long, and cats just love to be able to watch the world go by.

The Big Room boarding is designed for those cats who like a bit of space, or for a group of cats who are already living together and getting along quite happily. Usually, cats who will sleep together within touching distance will be well suited to spending time together in The Big Room, and having familiar company with them is sure to make the experience as calm and relaxed as possible.

Your feline pals will have unrestricted access to climbing and other play activities, plus a whole host of comfy places to sleep or just laze about! You are, of course, free to bring any favourite toys or sleeping beds etc. to make The Big Room a genuine extension of the home environment that they are already so familiar with.

All the furniture and articles within the big room are, like all our boarding rooms and cabanas, thoroughly cleaned and sterilised between visits.

What Cats Need From a Boarding Facility

Too often we see cat boarding facilities that, whilst functional, are not what we’d want to see if we were boarding our own cats. So we can provide the best possible environment in what can be a stressful time for any cat, here at the Cat Palace we designed and built our Kitty Cabanas to very exacting specifications.
There is a misconception that, because of their highly developed sense of smell, cats operate more by scent than by visual experiences, but this isn’t true. Whilst scent is a big part of the way a cat operates, it will remain quite happy within close proximity to an unfamiliar cat with all the different smells that brings, as long as eye contact isn’t possible. Cats are territorial by nature but, if they don’t physically see something they perceive as a threat, they usually won’t think twice about it. They may get curious if they hear noises from the cabana next door, but it will rarely develop beyond a pricking up of the ears and a twitching of the nose.
The entire layout of our boarding areas is done with this in mind. Happy cats get sick much less easily, and will often remember the happy experience the next time they are boarded with us.
Our Guest Rooms
Like we say, all cat boarding is not created equal. Rather than use metal (a cage by any other name), all our cabanas are two-storey single or double sized and made entirely from wood. As well as ensuring an adequate distance between all 3 main elements – bed, food and litter – of 0.5m which is vital if a cat is to feel as comfortable as possible, we also provide vertical space for the cat to move in.
If two cats are checked in from the same home, providing they usually sleep together so closely as to be touching, we will try to keep them together in a “double room” if available. Other considerations are taken into account, however, for example if one is a food grazer and the other a food hoover then we will put them in separate cabanas.
The Environment
The volume of each single cabana is approx. 0.5 metres cubed, and a double cabana is approx. 1 metres cubed. They were designed based on studies by several cat welfare societies and Prof. Tony Buffington’s “Indoor Cat Initiative” work.
Unlike we humans, who operate very much in a horizontal world cats, by nature and by instinct, operate very vertically. Ask yourself how often you see your cat lying at floor level and how often you find it even just sitting at a high vantage point, and you’ll realise how true that is! Having some vertical space offers the cat a more natural and familiar environment from which to survey its temporary territory. It’s usual for cats to move upstairs within about 24 hours as they settle in. Some of our regular guests actually move straight upstairs the second they are checked in!
We also allow owners to bring bedding from home in order to ease the transition for the cat, as long as the bedding fits the space in the cabana, is clean and also free from fleas or other potential hazards.
Fine Dining
We provide only premium food for the duration of the stay, usually a combination of Royal Canin and Hills, and are happy to assist with whatever adjustments are necessary in order to ensure any prescription or other dietary requirements are met. We also provide kangaroo or Hills t/d biscuits if the cat is allowed them as part of their normal diet.